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City wants site to comply with code

A truck sits in the weeds next to dozens of other vehicles Thursday at 541 W. Fair Ave. in Lancaster where a business has been operating. Vehicles have been accumulating at the address without proper permits, officials said.
(Photo:
Jess Grimm/Eagle-Gazette
)Buy Photo

LANCASTER – While Lancaster is cracking down on a site where cars have been allowed to accumulate without proper permits, officials said, the business itself is planning to leave the city.

"It's something we've been trying to address for months," said Brad Fagrell, Lancaster city engineer. "They just kept ignoring us. I know I went out there a couple of times earlier this year and tried to get them to file the right paperwork, but they seemed to keep blowing us off."

Dan Hedges, manager at Buckeye Auto Sales Service Center, said the company is planning to move out during the next couple of weeks.

"We just needed more room to expand," Hedges said.

The site also has been a problem for Lancaster City Councilwoman Becky Tener, R-6th Ward, who said she had received complaints about the property at 541 W. Fair Ave. and had gone over to check it out by walking on the Lancaster Bike Path.

"I'm tired of everyone saying that the west side Lancaster is a mess," Tener said. "We've got a lot of good people living here who are concerned about the condition of their properties and the properties on this side of town. It's just frustrating to get anything done."

Tener said she had been working with the city's code enforcement officers on the site and has been urging them to take more action and help clean up the area.

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Officials said vehicles have been accumulating without proper permits at 541 W. Fair Ave. in Lancaster.
(Photo:
Jess Grimm/Eagle-Gazette
)

"It looks like there are hundreds of cars back there, and it just looks awful," Tener said. "It just makes the whole area look bad."

Back in August, the city's building department sent out a notice of violation that the business was being operated without zoning approval to the business owner at the property listed as Buckeye Auto Sales Service Center.

"The Certified Building Department has visited this location on two occasions and notified the business staff that there had been no zoning approval to operate this business." the written violation notice said. "The city of Lancaster building department does not have any record of this business submitting a zoning clearance application. The business is also located within the Floodplain."

The business was given until Aug. 15 to comply with zoning code.

Fagrell said the business owners had not responded to the city's complaints until they were threatened with criminal charges.

On Sept. 15, the City Prosecutor Office sent out a letter to Buckeye Auto Sales Service Center warning the business it had received a request for criminal charges from the city's building department for failure to comply with the zoning code.

The letter warned the owners that to "avoid criminal prosecution," they needed to resolve all outstanding issues with the city's building department or the city would proceed with criminal charges Oct. 1.

That seemed to work, Fagrell said.

On Sept. 19, the city received an application for zoning clearance for the property to be a private auto repair shop that employs two people.

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Officials said vehicles have been accumulating without proper permits at 541 W. Fair Ave. in Lancaster.
(Photo:
Jess Grimm/Eagle-Gazette
)

"Right now, we are in the process of reviewing their application and determining if they can operate at that location under the code and if there are changes they may need to make if they are permitted to operate," Fagrell said.

Hedges said he didn't know how to fill out the paperwork and had only recently tried to fill it out and submit it to the city.

Fagrell said the review of the application could take a couple of weeks, but the site may be cleaned up before that.

Hedges said the company plans to move out of the county by Oct. 15.

"All of these vehicles belong to us, and we plan to take them all with us when we move," Hedges said.